Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment - Professionals

MOLST Program

Surveys have shown that people are not dying in the setting of their choice, most do not have advance directives in place, the majority of those being referred to hospice arrive too late to fully benefit, and most fear dying in pain and without dignity or control.

The Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) is designed to improve the quality of care people receive at the end of life. MOLST is New York State's Physicians Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm Program. These programs are based on effective communication of patient wishes, documentation of medical orders on a brightly colored form, and a promise by health care professionals to honor these wishes. See if your state has a POLST Paradigm Program.

When EMS personnel respond to an emergency call in the community, they are trained to check whether the patient has a pink MOLST form before initiating life-sustaining treatment. They might not notice a MOLST form on plain white paper.

However, white MOLST forms and photocopies, faxes, or electronic representations of the original, signed MOLST are legal and valid.